1961 Minnesota Twins season

1961 Minnesota Twins
First season in Minnesota
Major League affiliations
Location
Other information
Owner(s) Calvin Griffith (majority owner, with Thelma Griffith Haynes)
General manager(s) Calvin Griffith
Manager(s) Cookie Lavagetto, Sam Mele
Local television WTCN-TV
Local radio 830 WCCO AM
(Bob Wolff, Halsey Hall, Ray Scott)
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In 1961 the Twins finished the season with a record of 70–90, good for seventh in the American League, which had expanded from 8 to 10 teams during the 1960–61 offseason. It was the franchise's first season in Minnesota after 60 seasons in Washington, D.C. The Twins played their home games at Metropolitan Stadium.

Offseason

After 60 seasons in Washington, the Senators franchise moved to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area – or, more precisely, Bloomington, Minnesota – in 1961. In honor of the cities' nickname, "The Twin Cities", the franchise changed the team's name to the Twins. As one of the conditions to allow the team to move, there would be a new Senators franchise in Washington in 1961, an expansion team that joined the league along with the Los Angeles Angels.

Opening Day

The Twins won their first-ever game, when Pedro Ramos shut out the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium on April 11. In beating the defending American League champs 6–0, Ramos out-dueled New York ace Whitey Ford, allowing just three hits and a walk. Ramos drove in two with a single himself. Bob Allison hit the first home run in Minnesota big-league history with a solo shot off Ford in the seventh inning, and Reno Bertoia followed with another homer, a two-run blast, an inning later off Ralph Terry.[1] On April 21, the Twins lost their home opener to the expansion team that replaced them in the nation's capital, the second edition of the Senators, 5–3, before 24,606 at Metropolitan Stadium.[2]

Starting lineup, April 11, 1961

  2 Zoilo Versalles    SS
  7 Lenny Green CF
  3 Harmon Killebrew    1B
23 Jim Lemon LF
  4 Bob Allison RF
10 Earl Battey C
  1 Reno Bertoia 3B
  9 Billy Gardner 2B
14 Pedro Ramos P[1]

Regular season

The move to Minnesota immediately paid dividends at the turnstiles, where they drew 1,256,723 fans, the third highest total in the American League. The previous year in Washington, the Senators drew just 743,404 fans, worst in the league.[3] However, the team's record went in the other direction, as they dropped from 73–81 and fifth place in 1960 to 70–90 and seventh place under the new 162-game AL schedule.

In early June, after a losing streak that reached eleven games, Twins owner Calvin Griffith directed manager Cookie Lavagetto to take a week-long sabbatical. Two weeks after his return, Lavagetto was fired by Griffith. Cookie had been managing the club since the 1957 season. He was replaced by his first base coach Sam Mele.[4]

In a home Fourth of July double-header against Chicago, the Twins' Julio Bécquer hit a pinch hit grand slam home run that was the first of its kind in major league history—each run was credited to a different Chicago pitcher (Billy Pierce, Russ Kemmerer, Frank Baumann and Warren Hacker). In the second game, Twins slugger Harmon Killebrew hit an inside-the-park home run—the only one he would hit in his 573-homer career.

Two Twins made the All-Star Game: first baseman Harmon Killebrew (both games) and pitcher Camilo Pascual (second game).

On August 20, pitchers Jack Kralick and Al Schroll each hit a home run against the Los Angeles Angels—the sixth and final pitching duo to do so in the same game. On September 27, Schroll took a no-hitter into the ninth inning before giving up four runs on two walks and two hits.[5]

Pedro Ramos was the first pitcher to lead the American League in losses for four years in a row.[6] Both Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison topped 100 in RBI, walks and strikeouts.

Harmon Killebrew led the team with 46 home runs, 122 runs batted in, and 94 runs scored. Camilo Pascual led the Twins with 15 wins and a 3.46 ERA. Catcher Earl Battey won his second Gold Glove Award.[7]

Season standings

American League W L Pct. GB
New York Yankees 109 53 .673 --
Detroit Tigers 101 61 .623 8
Baltimore Orioles 95 67 .586 14
Chicago White Sox 86 76 .531 23
Cleveland Indians 78 83 .484 30.5
Boston Red Sox 76 86 .469 33
Minnesota Twins 70 90 .438 38
Los Angeles Angels 70 91 .435 38.5
Kansas City Athletics 61 100 .379 47.5
Washington Senators 61 100 .379 47.5

Record vs. opponents

1961 American League Records

Sources:

Team BAL BOS CWS CLE DET KC LAA MIN NYY WSH
Baltimore — 11–7 11–7 9–9 9–9 13–5 8–10 11–7 9–9–1 14–4
Boston 7–11 — 9–9 5–13 8–10 10–8 11–7–1 11–7 5–13 10–8
Chicago 7–11 9–9 — 12–6 6–12 14–4 10–8 9–9–1 6–12 13–5
Cleveland 9–9 13–5 6–12 — 6–12 8–9 10–8 10–8 4–14 12–6
Detroit 9–9 10–8 12–6 12–6 — 12–6–1 14–4 11–7 8–10 13–5
Kansas City 5–13 8–10 4–14 9–8 6–12–1 — 9–9 7–11 4–14 9–9
Los Angeles 10–8 7–11–1 8–10 8–10 4–14 9–9 — 8–9 6–12 10–8
Minnesota 7–11 7–11 9–9–1 8–10 7–11 11–7 9–8 — 4–14 8–9
New York 9–9–1 13–5 12–6 14–4 10–8 14–4 12–6 14–4 — 11–7
Washington 4–14 8–10 5–13 6–12 5–13 9–9 8–10 9–8 7–11 —

Notable transactions

Roster

1961 Minnesota Twins
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

 Outfielders Manager

Coaches

Player stats

= Indicates team leader

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
C Battey, EarlEarl Battey 133 460 139 .302 17 55
1B Killebrew, HarmonHarmon Killebrew 150 541 156 .288 46 122
2B Martin, BillyBilly Martin 108 374 92 .246 6 36
CF Green, LennyLenny Green 156 600 171 .285 9 50
RF Allison, BobBob Allison 159 556 136 .245 29 105

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Valdivielso, JoséJosé Valdivielso 76 149 29 .195 1 9
Bertoia, RenoReno Bertoia 39 104 22 .212 1 8
Henry, RonRon Henry 20 28 4 .143 0 3
Consolo, BillyBilly Consolo 11 5 0 .000 0 0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Ramos, PedroPedro Ramos 42 264.1 11 20 3.95 174
Pascual, CamiloCamilo Pascual 35 252.1 15 16 3.46 221
Kaat, JimJim Kaat 36200.29173.90122
Cueto, BertBert Cueto 7 21.1 1 3 7.17 5

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Arrigo, GerryGerry Arrigo 7 9.2 0 1 10.24 6

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G W L SV ERA SO
Moore, RayRay Moore 46 4 4 14 3.67 45
Dotter, GaryGary Dotter 2 0 0 0 9.00 2
Bruckbauer, FredFred Bruckbauer 1 0 0 0 ∞ 0

Farm system

Level Team League Manager
AAA Syracuse Chiefs International League Gene Verble and Frank Verdi
AA Nashville Vols Southern Association Spencer "Red" Robbins
A Charlotte Hornets Sally League Ellis Clary
B Wilson Tobs Carolina League Jack McKeon
D Fort Walton Beach Jets Alabama–Florida League Vern Morgan
D Wytheville Twins Appalachian League Red Norwood
D Erie Sailors New York–Penn League Harry Warner

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Wilson

Notes

  1. 1 2 Retrosheet box score: 1961-04-11
  2. ↑ Retrosheet box score:1961-04-21
  3. ↑ 1960 Senators at Baseball-Reference
  4. ↑ Minnesota Twins: The Complete Illustrated History, 2010 Edition, p. 31, Dennis Brackin and Patrick Reusse, MVP Books, ISBN 978-0-7603-3684-7
  5. ↑ "Minnesota Twins". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  6. ↑ Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p. 348, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, ISBN 978-0-451-22363-0
  7. ↑ "Minnesota Twins". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  8. ↑ Faye Throneberry at Baseball Reference
  9. ↑ Jackie Collum at Baseball Reference
  10. ↑ Billy Martin at Baseball Reference
  11. ↑ Bill Tuttle at Baseball Reference

References

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